Rfth prepping

[f85gtron]

What should I pay special attention to on the car while prepping for rfth?
What should I have in my oops bag? (Tools, parts)
Any other words of advise and methods of securing odds and ends in preparation for one of the best fiero events on earth?

[Roger]

Tire pressure & check the tread
belts
ALL fluid levels (and condition)
i.e.; radiator overflow, w/w fluid, brake fluid, clutch fluid, oil
ALL exterior lights

Options:
check lug nut torque
check for any loose nuts (on the car) ;-)
good A/C charge
glass cleaner
spare good ignition module
WD-40
rags
hand cleaner
any tools you feel you might need (most of us carry tools)
AAA
can of Sea-Foam or gas additive

Be certain your eyeshade, lipstick and blush co-ordinate.
NO overpowering perfume.

[Fierofool]

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  A set of spare keys in your wallet.

If the car still has a distributor, an ignition module is a necessity and a 5.5mm socket to replace it.  Not all module screws have slots or X's on the head.  White heat sink grease with the module.  An ignition coil.  A tool kit with several sizes of flat and phillips screwdrivers.  An assortment of SAE & Metric sockets and combination wrenches ranging from 4 mm to 21mm and 3/32 to at least 1 inch.  An assortment of extensions.  I carry one that's 18 inches long.  Makes getting to the battery hold down and manual trans VSS hold down much easier.  I also carry a small asstortment of metric deepwell sockets from 10 to 14mm.  A battery terminal ratchet wrench.  I carry a 15mm distributor hold down wrench.  An old ragged bath towel and a roll of paper shop towels or something like Viva towels.  I usually have at least 1 spark plug.  Comes in handy for checking for spark.  Rotor and cap might be considered.  A Dollar General disposable rain parka.  Two for a dollar.  An assortment of zip ties and maybe a couple bungee cords.

At times electrical tape, 14 gauge wire and a wiring connector kit  with stripper and crimper has been needed.  Fortunately someone carried one.  Spare fuses.  Don't depend on having the correct spare in the fuse box.

An oil filter wrench can be handy for removing the thermostat cap.  Not the cup style but the ones with a handle.  At least 2 gallons of coolant.  Mix it beforehand.  A large bottle of brake fluid.  One or 2 quarts of oil.  Not heavier than 10 w 30.  It can be used in the engine or manual trans.  Automatic trans fluid.

Fiero jack.  4-way lug wrench or lug wrench for aftermarket wheels.  Check pressure on the space saver tire.

Safety check:

A fire extinguisher placed behind the seat(s), not in the trunk or front compartment where most fires occur.
Be sure all suspension components are tight.  Ball joints, tie rods, etc.  Brake pads should not be worn down.  If new pads are installed, they should have at least 500 miles on them to season them.  Especially the front.  New pads can separate under constant hard braking conditions.  An alignment may be in order.  They hold the curves so much better, especially on damp roads.

Align shifter cables.  You don't want a missed downshift just as you hit that decreasing radius downhill curve at twice the posted speed limit.

If you have black fluid in your clutch reservoir, consider ordering a Rodney Dickman replacement, now.  You can't drive out of The Dragon without a clutch.  The voice of experience speaks.

Sounds like a lot of stuff, but the front compartment will hold most of the small items.  Utilize the space in the spare tire rim by turning it over. There's still ample room for luggage and a folding chair for socializing in the parking lot on Friday night.

[Raydar]

I take my tools and a couple of gallons of coolant. Jumper cables.
I don't carry a spare (won't fit over my brakes) but I have a 12V compressor, a plug kit, and a can of slime.
And a AAA card. :p

[GTRS Fiero]

For those who don't receive the newsletter, I was asked to post this.


Whenever you set out for a long drive, you should do some basic preparation—especially on 30-year-old vehicles.  We’ve compiled some tips to help make this drive a success:

Check:

• ALL fluid levels (and condition) i.e. radiator overflow, washer fluid, brake fluid, clutch fluid, transmission fluid, oil
• Shifter cable alignment
• Entire brake system
• Lug nut torque
• All belts
• Leaks
• A/C charge
• Fuel pressure
• ALL exterior lights
• Tire pressure & tread
• Alignment and suspension
• Motor and transmission mounts
• Steering, tie rods, end links, sway bars, ball joints, control arm bushings

Bring:

• A fire extinguisher placed behind the seat(s), not in the trunk or front compartment where most fires occur.  A second small fire extinguisher can be placed to the right of the passenger seat if you so desire.
• Window cleaner to remove the haze from the windshield.  A clean windshield provides better picture and video results, and allows for the best visibility as you approach bicyclists, motorcyclists, curves, and bears.
• Personal hygiene items.  A roll of bathroom tissue and baby or sanitation wipes are recommended.  Restrooms on the Skyway and approaching The Dragon may not be fully stocked or up to household standards.  Fuel stop restrooms can also be problematic.
• WD-40, a roll of shop towels, and hand cleaner
• Spare fuses, electrical tape, and a Fiero jack
• At least 1 gallon of pre-mixed coolant
• A can of Sea-Foam or gas additive
• A set of spare keys in your wallet
• Spare good ignition module, and a small tube of white or silver heat-sink grease
• Extra transmission fluid
• A can of Dot 3 brake fluid
• Extra engine oil
• AAA card

If you have black fluid in your clutch reservoir, consider ordering a Rodney Dickman replacement, now.  You can't drive out of The Dragon without a clutch.  The voice of experience speaks.

Be sure all suspension components are tight.  Ball joints, tie rods, etc.  Brake pads should not be worn down.  If new pads are installed, they should have at least 200 to 500 miles on them to season them—especially the front pads.  New pads can separate under constant hard braking conditions.  An alignment may be in order.  They hold the curves so much better, especially on damp roads.

Bring a tool kit with several sizes of flat- and Philips-head screwdrivers, as well as an assortment of SAE and Metric sockets and combination wrenches, ranging from 4mm to 21mm and 3/32 to at least 1 inch.  Short, medium, and long ratchet extensions, a battery terminal ratchet wrench (8mm), and a 15mm distributor hold-down wrench or universal joint socket, and a spark plug for testing are also advisable.  A spare rotor and cap might be considered.  Some ignition module screws and distributor cap screws can be removed with a screwdriver; however, some are hex head.  For that reason, you may want to include a 5.5mm socket in your collection.  You may also want to consider bringing an assortment of zip ties and maybe a couple of bungee cords.

Fill your tank with fuel as soon as you arrive, so you can leave with the group on Saturday morning.  Fuel stops are planned to provide for some reserve, but not enough to skip a fuel stop.

Be prepared for the early morning sun, which may obscure your vision.

[Formula Owner]

I wish I had found this, oh, say, a month ago. I would recommend that whenever the RFTH announcements are posted in various places, that it include a link to this list. This is a great list. It included a few things I didn't think of.

[GTRS Fiero]

I apologize.  Do you get the newletter?  This was also in the newletter.

Making a link is a good idea.  We just need people to read the posts.

[GTRS Fiero]

While we're at it, is there anything that should be added to or removed from the list?  It should still be fresh in everyone's mind.

[Fierofool]

Front wheel bearings should be checked for play on 84-87 models and retorqued if there is any play. 

Regarding the fire extinguisher, this is a handy universal seat rail mount for fire extinguishers.  It adjusts for most seat rails and fire extinguishers.  It can be mounted on the front of the passenger side seat rail.  The seat may not slide fully forward, but there's very little need for the passenger to move fully forward.  Faster access than going after one that's behind a seat or in a compartment and its charge condition is readily visible. 

https://www.amazon.com/Extinguisher-Bracket-Universal-Design-Vehicles/dp/B015G3QXMY

[Formula Owner]

I would add:

Bring:
- Jumper cables (from Raydar)
- 12v air compressor, a can of fix-a-flat, and a plug kit. (also from Raydar)
- FRS radio (Preferably with an earplug. It's difficult to hear a radio while the car is in motion)
- GPS with local maps loaded, unless you really know the route. The pace is high, and if you lose sight of the car in front of you, it's easy to miss a turn. You can't depend on phone coverage to be able to load maps & routes if you get lost. I would recommend loading waypoints into your GPS for the fuel & food stops. That way, if you DO get lost, you can meet up at the next stop.

At every stop (restroom, fuel, food, etc):
- Check your fluids. Your car is likely getting used harder than usual. For some, WAY harder than usual. Your fluid levels could drop unexpectedly.
- Take a quick look at your tires. If any of them look low, check the pressures.

While driving:
- Keep an eye on the gauges. As mentioned, your car is going to get used harder than usual. A lot of climbing at high altitude can cause your engine temp to creep above where it usually runs. Also, if your oil level is the least bit low, you can lose oil pressure in hard cornering.

- end of my suggested additions

And, no, I didn't have oil pressure problems, but I've noticed it numerous times in the past. I can check my oil level by watching my oil pressure gauge on a cloverleaf. If it deflects, I'm just over a qt low. I DID have my engine temp creep up on the Cherohala Skyway. Apparently, lots of climbing at high altitude causes your engine to run hotter. I also had the unexpected fluid loss. The morning after the run, my clutch master cylinder was empty. I KNOW it was good before I left home. I don't know if it dropped on the run or overnight, but either way, I wish I'd checked it on the run.

I'm curious, though. What's the purpose of the Seafoam?

Re: fire extinguishers.... I like where TopNotch had his... on the shelf right behind the driver's head. You wouldn't need to reach in as far to get it in an emergency. When there was smoke coming from my engine bay at Stratton Ridge Overlook, I started looking around for fire extinguishers. TopNotch, what extinguisher and mount are you using?

[TopNotch]

TopNotch, what extinguisher and mount are you using?

It came with the car. I think the mount is some kind of wall mount adapted to mounting on the shelf. Whoever did it thoughtfully put a couple of little felt stick-on feet on the extinguisher itself where it contacts the back window. You wouldn't want a rattling extinguisher to break your back window.

And I'll throw in another prep thing. I've been on several RFTH's in that car, with no problems, except when my radiator fan quit working, and it boiled over. So that would be a good thing to check.

[Fierofool]

On this run I had:

Brake fluid
Antifreeze concentrate
1 gallon of water
1 quart oil
1 ignition module
dielectric grease
heat sink grease
Pancho for working in the rain
large umbrella
extra large beach umbrella for anyone assisting repairs
tire gauge
infra red thermometer
battery powered air pump with pressure setting and flashlight and flasher
2 hand-held LED flashlights, one with magnetic features
compact tool set sufficient to do most work
battery terminal wrench
long extension for removing battery hold down bolt
special distributor wrench for removing distributor
distributor cap and rotor button
a couple of used spark plugs for checking spark.
roll of electrical wire for replacing and splicing wires.
bungee cords

With all this in the trunk, it still didn't make my car tail heavy in the curves. 

Note:  In the absence of jumper cables, a good battery can be pulled from a manual transmission car and installed into an automatic vehicle.  Then the manual trans car can be push started and used to charge the dead battery.  We completed an RFTH event in Asheville and brought the car all the way back to Atlanta by swapping out batteries. 

[Formula Owner]

Heck, Fierofool, with you bringing all that, *I* don't need to bring anything.  The only thing I need to bring to a run is Fierofool.   

[Raydar]

I would add:

Bring:
- 12v air compressor, a can of fix-a-flat, and a plug kit. (...from Raydar)

Just recognize that if you use the "fix-a-flat" that it will make a huge mess inside the tire. Some shops won't even work on tires that have used it. Apparently it has a flammable/explosive component. At least give them a "heads up".
It is also rumored to eat away the metal that comprises the wheels, so you don't want to leave it in there for a long time.

Please do your own research. Although I carry "slime", I will only use it as a last resort.

[Fierofool]

A local independent tire store said they can't patch or plug a tire that's had the puncture seal aerosols used in it.  The stuff won't let the adhesive bond, they say.